THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a rare feat, a father-daughter duo appeared for their PhD open defence at the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) on the same day. Nirmal S and her father Sivarajan K N successfully defended their doctoral thesis at the Thrissur Government Engineering College, where they were pursuing their doctoral research.
Interestingly, both had chosen the same discipline and were supervised by the same research guide. Nirmal, who is working as a guest lecturer at NSS Engineering College, Palakkad, now said working on her PhD alongside her father was a fantastic experience. “As our discipline was power systems, we could complement each other in the research,” she said.
Sivarajan, a former KSEB chief engineer, worked in two engineering colleges before enrolling for a full-time PhD programme at the university in 2016. “My only issue was with the computer, which I was able to resolve with the help of my daughter. Now I am an expert in that field as well,” he said, beaming with delight. Jasmin E A, an associate professor at Thrissur Government Engineering College who guided the two, said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her to mentor both a father and a daughter. “They both were earnest in their research. It’s also a source of pride for me that they both reached the end of their PhD programmes at the same time,” said Jasmin.
The intellectually-gruelling open defence session is a requirement for receiving a PhD and is the final step in the doctoral degree process. Both Sivarajan and Nirmal will be awarded PhDs after the university’s Board of Governors ratifies the doctorate report submitted by the college.